Barriers and Drivers of Renewable Energy Penetration in Rural Areas

Dalia Streimikiene,Justas Streimikis,Agnė Žičkienė,Mangirdas Morkūnas,Artiom Volkov,Tomas Baležentis

doi:10.3390/en14206452

Dalia Streimikiene, Justas Streimikis + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en14206452

Copy DOI

Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Oct 9, 2021
Citations: 28	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Lithuanian Social Research Centre

Abstract

The paper deals with the exposition of the main barriers and drivers of renewable energy usage in rural communities. Climate change mitigation is causing governments, policymakers, and international organizations worldwide to embark on policies, leading to increased use of renewable energy sources and improvement of energy efficiency. Climate change mitigation actions, including the Green Deal strategy in the EU, require satisfying the expanding energy demand and complying with the environmental restrictions. At the same time, the prevailing market structure and infrastructure relevant to the energy systems are undergoing a crucial transformation. Specifically, there has been a shift from centralized to more decentralized and interactive energy systems that are accompanied by a low-carbon energy transition. Smart Grid technology and other innovations in the area of renewable energy microgeneration technologies have enabled changes in terms of the roles of energy users: they can act as prosumers that are producing and consuming energy at the same time. Renewable energy generation that is allowing for deeper involvement of the citizens may render higher social acceptance, which, in turn, fuels the low-carbon energy transition. The collective energy prosumption in the form of energy cooperatives has become a widespread form of renewable energy initiatives in rural communities. Even though renewable energy consumption provides a lot of benefits and opportunities for rural communities, the fast penetration of renewables and energy prosumption encounter several important barriers in the rural areas. This paper analyses the main barriers and drivers of renewable energy initiatives in rural areas and provides policy implications for the low-carbon energy transition in rural areas.

Highlights

In order to implement the EU Clean Energy Packages and Green Deal, it is necessary to make energy transitions more inclusive, fair, and democratic, and the diverse forms of energy citizenship can help achieve this
This paper aims to address this gap and analyze the main barriers of renewable energy initiatives and policies to overcome these barriers in rural communities
After reading the selected articles, the main questions were identified in the Synthesis step, and the papers were grouped according to the several main areas: problems of a renewable energy transition in rural areas, energy prosumption options and energy cooperatives in rural areas, barriers and drivers of renewable energy initiatives in rural areas, policies and measures to overcome barriers of renewable energy barriers in rural areas

Summary

Introduction

In order to implement the EU Clean Energy Packages and Green Deal, it is necessary to make energy transitions more inclusive, fair, and democratic, and the diverse forms of energy citizenship can help achieve this. Energy citizenship and other energy initiatives can be important drivers in this transition process. Being a citizen has a range of rights and responsibilities, and it focuses on the agency and practices that recognize the citizenship. Agency focuses on the individual’s self-identity as a citizen and emphasizes the thought and actions that were exercised. The definition of Energy Citizenship by Ryghaug et al (2018) [1] and DevineWright (2007) [2] includes both individual and collective forms of energy citizenship with a focus on their agency around the material and non-material practices and actions, often termed as performative participation [3]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion